SEATTLE — Police said a drive-by shooting that injured a Univeristy of Washington student and her boyfriend was gang-related, but her family said there was no way she could have been targeted.
Mikala Ailep, 19, and her 19-year-old boyfriend were shot in South Seattle on Tuesday near Rainier Avenue South and South Hanford Street in South Seattle around 7 p.m.
Police said the couple was in a car when someone in another car opened fire. The victims went off the road and crashed into a car wash.
Witnesses said they heard 10 gunshots and saw a vehicle speeding away after the shooting.
Ailep graduated at the top of her Rainier Beach High School class in 2011, received a four-year scholarship to the University of Washington and is studying to be a doctor.
Her uncle, Kevin Amos, said Ailep was struck in the neck, wrist and leg, and her head was grazed by what Seattle police said was gunfire from a rifle.
Amos said there was no way that Ailep could have been targeted by a gang.
The mother of Ailep’s boyfriend said she is also baffled by the shooting.
She said her 19-year-old son, whom she describes as a boxing phenomenon, is steadily improving after he was shot several times.
“He’s a good-spirited young man and I couldn’t imagine that anybody would want to take his life or her life. I know her, as well,” said the victim’s mother, who declined to be identified.
Police said they have no suspects in the shooting and Ailep’s uncle is hoping someone will come forward.
“Stand up and be a person of integrity and come forth,” said Amos.
Anyone with information is asked to call Seattle Police Department.
KIRO
